Pork ribs as a product are appreciated for their rather low cost and great variability in terms of cooking. Of them you can make not only dishes for the everyday table, when there is a desire to treat yourself and loved ones, but also real gastronomic delights for celebrations and holidays. It can be thick soups with legumes, which have a rich taste, roast in a pan or grilled meat, etc. We will tell you about what to cook from pork ribs, spending a minimum of effort on it, but afterwards getting maximum pleasure.
Some helpful suggestions
First, let’s clarify which component of the carcass is meant by this name. This is the upper part of the brisket with different thicknesses of the muscle layer, the middle part of the ribs and a small amount of fat. One of the main advantages of the product is the speed of its preparation.
Secondly, when buying ribs in the market, you need to immediately decide what you take them for. It depends on whether it is worth chopping them into large pieces or smaller (10 cm long), or even into separate parts. For grilling and roasting, it is best to choose those ribs with more meat. For soup, they are also suitable with a small layer.
Thirdly, when a question arises about what to cook from pork ribs, also pay attention to the choice of spices and marinades. Sweet and sour sauces with fruity notes (lingonberry, cranberry), as well as spicy breading, harmoniously combine with tender meat. We suggest that you use for starters proven and simple recipes for preparing ribs.
Recipe number 1: Ribs in sweet and sour sauce
You will be pleasantly surprised that making barbecue pork ribs is extremely simple, but you must take care of the marinade in advance. So you will need:
- pork ribs (fleshy) - 2 kg;
- water - 3.5 l;
- honey (or cane sugar) - 250 g;
- BBQ sauce or ketchup - 0.5 cups;
- lime (or lemon) - 3 (2) pcs.;
- balsamic vinegar - 0.5 tsp.
The first step is to remove the film from the ribs and divide them into pieces of 10-20 cm in length. Then pour water into a large pot, add salt (3.5 tbsp.) And cook the meat. In this case, it is not necessary to bring to a boil, withstand a temperature of about 95 ° C for 20 minutes.
Prepare the sauce at this time. In a ceramic bowl, mix ketchup, honey, lime (or lemon) juice, 1 tsp. salt, vinegar and pepper (you can take white or more hot chili). Mix the mixture until smooth.
Remove the finished ribs from the water and pat dry with a towel. Then brush abundantly with sauce and send immediately to a grill pan or wire rack. Cook on average about 20 minutes, turning over periodically and lubricating with the rest of the sauce. Let the grilled ribs rest for 10-15 minutes, and you can serve them to the table.
Recipe number 2: Ribs in onion-garlic marinade
When deciding what to cook from pork ribs for the second for a family dinner or friendly gatherings, do not bypass this option. Moreover, they serve such meat with wonderful caramel sauce. Essential Ingredients:
- pork ribs - 1 kg;
- large onions - 1 pc.;
- cloves of garlic - 5 pcs.;
- cognac - 2 tbsp. l .;
- rosemary - 0.5 tsp;
- ground pepper mixture - 0.5 tsp;
- paprika (spicy or sweet - at your discretion) - 0.5 tsp;
- celery (greens) - 1 bunch.
Punch the onions and garlic with a blender until smooth, add brandy and spices, mix again. At the end, add chopped celery.
Washed in cold water and dried ribs cut into separate parts. Lubricate them on all sides with plenty of marinade, put in a bowl, close the lid and keep in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours, and it is better to leave it at 12. Do not forget that you can also cook the second dish from pork ribs in the oven (with grill or without), which greatly simplifies the task.
Put the pickled meat in a baking dish and cover with foil on top. Cook the ribs for an hour at 180 degrees. Then remove the foil, pour meat on the juice that stood out, and brown until crusted under the grill or just over high heat.
Making Caramel Sauce
You will need:
- soy sauce - 2 tbsp. l .;
- cane sugar - 1 tsp;
- honey - 2 tsp;
- orange juice - 1 tbsp. l
In a stewpan, pour 0.5 cups of the juice released during cooking, add all the other ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer the mixture to the desired consistency. Keep in mind that when it cools, it thickens even more.
Serve the meat hot, pouring it on top with sauce with a side dish (familiar to all french fries or boiled rice), as well as fresh vegetables.
What can be cooked from smoked pork ribs?
If the option of just eating them is too simple for you, we recommend cooking the soup. Be sure everyone will like it. Beans (chickpeas, beans, lentils and peas) will be the best addition to smoked pork ribs . The soup is obtained from them very hearty, rich and with an indescribable aroma. And if not everyone loves beans, then peas are almost an ideal option. The recipe for just such a soup is what we offer you. You will need:
- smoked pork ribs - 1.5 kg;
- peas (dry) - 2 glasses;
- medium-sized carrots - 3 pcs.;
- celery root - 250 g;
- potatoes - 300 g;
- onions - 2 pcs.;
- tomato paste - 2 tbsp. l .;
- bay leaf (small) - 1 pc.;
- ground and peas black pepper, salt - to taste.
Stages of making soup
It is recommended to soak peas at night, and the next day, pour two glasses of boiling water and cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Pour ribs with 2.5 liters of cold water and bring to a boil over high heat, then remove the resulting foam.
Peel all vegetables. Celery, bake one carrot and onion in a dry frying pan (about 6 minutes) and put in a saucepan to the ribs. Cook for an hour on low heat, and 5-10 minutes before the end, toss a leaf of parsley and black pepper.
Then the broth should be filtered into a separate saucepan, add steamed peas and cook for 8-10 minutes, then toss the remaining vegetables (cut into cubes). Boil the soup for another half hour, and a few minutes (3-5) before the end of cooking, put the tomato paste. Remove the meat from the ribs.
For all the length of the process description, you probably noticed that making soup from smoked pork ribs is very simple, and the result will exceed all your expectations.
The final step depends on your preference. You can leave the soup as is. A very traditional and familiar option. And you can pierce it with a blender and get a soup puree, in this case, after grinding, warm it again on a fire until it boils, and then dip the pieces of meat in each serving. Serve it with garlic white bread toast.
This is only a small part of what to cook from pork ribs. With photos, recipes seem even more attractive and mouth-watering, which is true. Try new flavors and unusual combinations, for example, with apple mustard, quince, berries (lingonberries, cranberries) and spicy Provencal herbs.